Antique Scottish pebble agate jewelry

Antique Scottish pebble agate jewelry
Scottish silver products with the inserts of agate, granite and other local stones became popular when Queen Victoria, proud of her Scottish ancestors, bought Balmoral Castle in 1848.
Traditionally, from the time of the Roman Empire, craftsmen used agate and a variety of chalcedony and usually carved jewelry pieces in the form of oval cabochon or figurines. The colors of agate — swampy green, rusty red and ocher — combined with the gray tones of granite matched the palette of the Scottish landscape. Agate biotechnology sometimes inherited the forms of Celtic embellishments. For example, a dagger brooch or a round brooch with a long hanging pin, a harp, a Celtic cross and heraldic attributes for a weapon. All – made of polished agate, trimmed in silver with engraving.

Although most of the jewelry pieces have no marks on them, yet some have the stamp of such masters as Sanjestor from Aberdeen or J.P. Hutton, which significantly increases their value. In other cases, the price depends on the time of creation, sophistication and design complexity. Noteworthy, early decorations date back to the end of the XVIII century.

Antique Scottish pebble agate jewelry